William Fay (9 September 1943 – 22 February 2025) Born in North London in 1943, Bill Fay started writing songs on the piano and harmonium while attending college in Wales.
English singer-songwriter Bill Fay’s recordings were released by Deram label, but following the release of his second album in 1971, Fay was dropped by the label. His work enjoyed a growing cult status in the 1990s, and his older works were re-issued in 1998 and 2004/2005. Fay’s 2012 album Life Is People was his first album of all-new material since 1971. His last album, Countless Branches, was released on 17 January 2020.
After Van Morrison’s drummer Terry Noon discovered Fay’s demos and was profoundly moved by the songwriting, he helped Fay sign to Decca Records subsidiary Deram.
Fay only released two albums: 1970’s Bill Fay and 1971’s Time of the Last Persecution.
Wilco lead singer Jeff Tweedy described hearing Fay’s music for the first time to the New York Times: ‘I was astonished: How have I not heard this? How is this not something that is part of our DNA? It’s music that sounds like it was designed in a laboratory for me to fall in love with.’
An intensely private person, Fay never toured or performed live, despite much coaxing from fans and collaborators.
He told the New York Times of his late rising star in 2020: ‘It’s best I spend my available time doing what I’ve always done. I’m thankful that side of my life has continued for all my life — finding songs in the corner of the room.’
According to IMDB, a feature-length documentary on the making of Bill Fay’s classic album, and his return to music 30 years later, is in production.
Sources: Mojo ; NY Times; Wikipedia